Original! Giving Thanks
by guardyanangel
Summary: ORIGINAL VERSION. Formerly part of my Hands of Fate continuity. The rewritten version is up.


**Summary:** "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." One-shot of Kid Flash's Thanksgivings, present and past. Flinx.

**A/N: **My belated Thanksgiving fic. I wanted to post something on the actual day, but the inspiration didn't come until early yesterday. This also explains why it may be a little odd to read. It is predominantly unedited.

**Disclaimer: **Thankfully not mine; otherwise I'd have a horde of Teen Titans fans descending upon me with baseball bats for canceling the show. :)

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**Giving Thanks**

**By guardyanangel  
**

_Keystone City, Thanksgiving Day, Present_

It is his worst Thanksgiving ever.

A quiet room. At first glance there appears to be nothing but a clock, a turned-off TV, a couch with a lump of blankets on it, and a phone on a table next to the couch.

The clock strikes 11AM and, as if on cue, the phone rings. For a moment nothing changes in the scene, but as the phone begins to ring again, the lump of blankets stir, revealing a shock of red hair above an angular blue-eyed face and a lanky body. Blue eyes dull, the boy slowly reaches for the phone.

"Hello?"

"Kid Flash?"

At the sound of the name, the youth straightens, "Raven? I told you not to call me on this number." There is a hint of anger in his voice, which seems uncharacteristic coming from one who would look like such a comical character.

"I would call you on your communicator, but you never pick up anymore," the monotone reply does not hold any accusation, but the blue eyes of the boy narrow nonetheless, and he tenses.

"You know very well why I don't pick up the communicator anymore," he hisses

"I _do_ know."

At the simple reply, the boy's shoulders slump. "What do you want?"

"Nightwing wants to know if you're coming over for dinner today."

The boy's laugh is bitter, and it gives the room an almost chilling feel, "He wants to know if I'm _coming over_? Has he lost his mind?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Some of the others are beginning to think _you_ have."

There is silence on the boy's side of the line for a long moment.

"Kid Flash?"

"Don't." When the teen finally answers, his voice is broken, saddened.

"Don't what?"

"Don't… just, don't call me that. Not anymore." He runs his fingers through his red hair anxiously.

"What are you saying?"

The boy shut his blue eyes slowly, finally managing to whisper. "Tell Nightwing I quit."

Raven's voice is almost cold when she responds. "Come tell him yourself. At dinner. Today."

"No!" the other teen's voice is anguished, holding more pain than it should.

There is a pause.

"It's Thanksgiving. Come and have dinner with your family. Please." For once, the monotone quality of her voice has disappeared, and there is gentleness in her tone.

"_Thanks_giving_?_" the teen's anger is explosive, and he jumps upwards, his eyes burning with anger, "What is there to be thankful _for, _Raven? The only person I ever lived for is _gone! _She's _dead! _I can't…" There is a broken sob, and he buries his head in one hand.

"Kid Flash…" Raven finally tells him after a long, long silence, "_She's _dead. You _aren't._ There's still plenty for you to live for."

"Like _what_?" he spits, his fury so apparent he has begun to quiver, rapidly, "Give me _one thing_. One thing to be thankful for, and I'll call today the best Thanksgiving ever."

There is a pause.

"Can't think of anything?" he sneers

"I can think of one thing," comes the response, soft and perhaps a little bitter, "You and Jinx- you had that once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. Even if you can't have it anymore, you should be thankful that you _did _have it. Other people in the world may never be so lucky to find the love that you two had. So be thankful that you did."

There is a soft _click_ as the phone is hung up. The redhead hangs his head for a moment, before finally placing the phone back into its cradle. There are tears running down his face now, and running through his mind are the words Raven has spoken.

_You had a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love… Be thankful that you _did _have it… Other people may never be so lucky… _

Sinking back onto the couch, the teen pulls his knees up to his chest and sighs softly, thinking back on the love he once had.

~*~

_Jump City, Thanksgiving Day, Not So Long Ago_

When Thanksgiving came around the year after the Brotherhood had fallen, the original five Titans had decided to hold a Thanksgiving party in Jump City in order to celebrate and get to know all the new members better. After a time, the storytelling had died down, and people had begun to play what they called the 'What are you thankful for?' game.

Cyborg had inadvertently begun the game when, hearing Speedy saying that he may have been attacked by Robin for a joke he'd made earlier, he responded, "I'm thankful for good friends, good food, and not being attacked by my OCD leader."

The group had laughed, and soon everyone was trading "I'm thankful fors…"

"I'm thankful for my good looks, awesome stories, and hot, WONDERful babes." Speedy had stated, the last three words being spoken a little louder than those preceding them, for Wonder Girl had walked by at the moment.

The Amazon had flushed lightly and countered. "I'm thankful for gifts from the gods, escape from the islands, and plenty of _interesting _boys to be around."

"I'm thankful for a fish-less meal, a respite from fighting crime, and being around some awesome land-walkers. Speedy excluded, of course." Aqualad had stated, much to the archer's chagrin.

Kid Flash, when finally enquired, responded with a smile, "I'm thankful for good friends, the happiness that everyone's giving off, and new love."

The majority of the girls in the room had _aww-_ed at the sweetness of his confession, and Jinx had simply rolled her eyes with a small smile.

As the party had come to a close, Kid Flash approached Jinx and told her, "You know, I don't think I heard what you were thankful for today."

Jinx had rolled her eyes and responded, "I'll tell you when we get home."

When they arrived back in Keystone City, the enchantress had held on to the speedster a little longer, whispering in his ear: "I'm thankful for a new start, new friends, and _you_. I never would have gotten where I am now without you. Thank you."

~*~

_Keystone City, Thanksgiving Day, Present_

"God, Jinxy," Kid Flash murmurs as he shakes his head clear of the memories of the past. "I miss you…"

He stands now, and reaches for a picture album that he has hidden beneath the couch since her death. As he opens it, a paper falls out. Intrigued, he reads it.

As he does, his eyes fill with tears. By the time he reaches the bottom of the paper, he is crying.

An alarm rings through his house, and he glances at it. He has not fought crime since the day that she died, has ignored every call and never worn the Kid Flash costume since. But this letter brings him closure, brings him hope, brings him a gratefulness he never knew he could have for the love that he has lost.

The speedster changes into his Kid Flash costume. He speed-reads through the paper once more before he goes.

_Dear Wally,_

_I don't know why I feel like I have to write this, but I do. Maybe it's because of all the fighting we've been doing- both as partners in crime and as _partners_. Either way, I feel like somehow, we'll be separated soon, and I just need you to know:_

_Like I said before, after I had that nightmare, I can't live without you. And I know you responded in kind, but please, promise me that if you ever have to live without me, for whatever reason, I want you to keep going, keep fighting crime, and keep saving lives- just like you saved mine._

_I don't know what's going to happen to us, Wally. I don't know how we will end. But I do want you to know that I do not regret you saving me the way you did- no matter how much I said I hated being a damsel-in-distress._

_I love you Wally. I always will. But, if you ever find that you have to move on, let me go. I promise, I'll be with you, no matter what._

_Love and thanks, forever and always,_

_Jinx._

"Thank you, Jinxy," he whispers, before he runs to stop the jewelry store crime.

It is his best Thanksgiving ever.

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**A/N: **I know, I know, I KILLED JINX! I'm sorry! I can't help it! Blame my literary muse!

I've been attempting to write a multi-chaptered fic that will explain many of the things that have happened to the Titans in what I've called 'Present' time in this fic, but the dang thing refuses to be written! *sigh* I shall keep plugging along…

Anyways, if you wish to beat me with a bat for killing off Jinx, or if you want to express any other reactions you've had to this little baby, please leave a review!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

Guardy


End file.
